Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ron Asheton, 1948-2009
It's a very, very sad day for rock & roll, as Ron Asheton, legendary guitarist of the Stooges was found dead in his Ann Arbor, MI home. Asheton was one of the greatest guitar players to ever walk the earth, and millions of musicians the world over owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
It is a disgusting shame that Asheton did not die a member a of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an institution that honors "rockers" like Madonna but keep The Stooges, Sex Pistols, and Black Sabbath (just to name a few) on the sidelines.
The Stooges are in the Top Ten bands of all time, and the best band ever to come out of Michigan, inventing punk in their wake. I'll let Jack White say it, from the liner notes to the deluxe edition of the classic Funhouse:
"I remember screaming in my head, 'This is Detroit!' And that's what Fun House is to me, the very definition of Detroit rock & roll, and by proxy the definitive rock album of America. The record's passion, attitude, power, emotion and destruction are incalculable."
Rest in peace Ron Asheton, rest in peace...
UPDATE: I am very surprised/happy that the music press worldwide has responded appropriately to Asheton's untimely passing. NME has spent the last week and a half publishing tributes from the likes of Iggy Pop, Bobby Gillespie, and various Sex Pistols. This is not surprising, but what is surprising is that Rolling Stone has also chimed in.
It is a disgusting shame that Asheton did not die a member a of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an institution that honors "rockers" like Madonna but keep The Stooges, Sex Pistols, and Black Sabbath (just to name a few) on the sidelines.
The Stooges are in the Top Ten bands of all time, and the best band ever to come out of Michigan, inventing punk in their wake. I'll let Jack White say it, from the liner notes to the deluxe edition of the classic Funhouse:
"I remember screaming in my head, 'This is Detroit!' And that's what Fun House is to me, the very definition of Detroit rock & roll, and by proxy the definitive rock album of America. The record's passion, attitude, power, emotion and destruction are incalculable."
Rest in peace Ron Asheton, rest in peace...
UPDATE: I am very surprised/happy that the music press worldwide has responded appropriately to Asheton's untimely passing. NME has spent the last week and a half publishing tributes from the likes of Iggy Pop, Bobby Gillespie, and various Sex Pistols. This is not surprising, but what is surprising is that Rolling Stone has also chimed in.
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